Tracksuit saved life of ‘drunk’ man who tried to climb mountain
One of two ‘drunk’ men who had to be rescued from a mountain in north Wales yesterday only survived because of the colour of his tracksuit, rescuers have suggested.
He is thought to have tumbled down a gully on one of Snowdonia’s most popular outdoor destinations, while another friend in his party of eight collapsed.
Both were eventually rescued, with the man who fell airlifted to safety, following a near six-hour operation.
The alarm was raised at around 3pm when reports came in that a man in his 20s was ‘intoxicated and unconscious’ on Cader Idris.
The man appears to have been left on the mountain while the rest of the group went to raise the alarm, Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team explained.
After speaking with the party – who were described as ‘potentially intoxicated’ – it became clear that another one of their friends was also missing on the mountain.
The man who fell had ‘significant’ injuries – but was only found because his clothing was light enough to see.
The rescue team said in a statement: ‘Through further conversations with the party, team volunteers were able to obtain a rough description of the man’s location, different from the original information but coinciding with reports of shouting heard by other walkers coming off the mountain.
‘Crucially, it also transpired that another member of the party was also missing on the mountain.’
They continued: ‘In unseasonably poor weather, volunteers were dispatched up the hill to begin searching the area in question, and key equipment was carried up the mountain as it arrived.
‘The initial search parties quickly encountered the man reported as being unconscious, but now back on his feet, and he was escorted down off the mountain while the search for his companion continued.’
The other man’s location was unknown as he had become separated from his friends, and volunteers searched for hours before eventually spotting him.
‘One of the search parties reported a distant light-coloured object in a gully to the south of the initial search area, and spotters working from the foot of the mountain confirmed that it appeared to be a person,’ the statement said.
‘The (search) party made their way across difficult terrain to reach the man, who was alive but had sustained significant injuries in what looked like a tumbling fall,’ it added.
He was airlifted by the Coastguard to Ysbyty Gwynedd, where he has been treated.
It took almost six hours and 17 volunteers for the search team to get both men to safety, with the operation coming to an end at around 8.45pm.
Graham O’Hanlon, who attended the incident, said: ‘The men were not equipped for the poor weather on the mountain, or for finding their way around it, and they made some poor choices that nearly cost at least one man his life.
‘But for the light colour of the man’s tracksuit, we may not have spotted him in time.’
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